Moncrieff Electorate: Vietnam Veterans’ Day

I recently had the great privilege of joining my community for the annual Kokoda Day and Vietnam Veterans’ Day commemorations. This year marked the 83rd Kokoda Day commemoration and, as I do each year, I joined the Rotary Club of Broadwater Southport and the Surfers Paradise RSL Sub-Branch for their service.

It was a beautiful service held at the Rotary Kokoda Memorial Wall in Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach. This memorial is a wonderful, dedicated space that’s also used outside of the official commemorations. Before I go on in this positive tone, I want to condemn those who have absolutely desecrated Cascade Gardens. I’ve just heard from my office that some vandalism has occurred there. I condemn those people for what they have done, and I hope the police bring the full force of the law down on those people who have done that over the last few days. It’s very upsetting for the veterans.

At this year’s service, we were joined by veterans, community leaders and, of course, special guest Nova Peris OAM OLY. Nova’s connection to Papua New Guinea is deeply personal. Her great-grandfather Jack Knox fought in the Kokoda campaign during the Second World War, and together we commemorated the courage, sacrifice and bravery of all who served during that conflict. It was a solemn service where we reflected on the pivotal role this campaign played in Australia’s military history, and we honoured the unique bond forged between Australian and Papua New Guinean forces.

It would be remiss of me not to mention and pay tribute, of course, to the fuzzy wuzzy angels, who were seminal in the conflict. They bravely aided our wounded troops alongside the Papuan infantry battalion, who fought valiantly. It’s so very important to continue elevating and shining a light on our country’s military history. We must never, ever forget the contributions of our diggers and the perils, the losses, the grievances and the grieving of war.

Just last week I joined the Nerang RSL sub-branch and the Gold Coast sub-branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association for their Vietnam Veterans’ Day commemorative service. This service was held in an equally beautiful location, in the veterans garden at the beautiful Nerang RSL and Memorial Club. It was my pleasure to be there alongside our incredible service personnel. We took the time to pause and reflect upon the sacrifices made during the Vietnam War and the Battle of Long Tan, a conflict that saw more than 60,000 Australians serve, 523 of whom were, sadly, killed. Of those 60,000 that served, there are around 35,000 surviving Aussie Vietnam vets. Their service and sacrifice will never be in vain. We must continue to elevate veterans’ voices and ensure their legacy lives on. We will remember them. Lest we forget.